


Colors

by thatonedudewiththename



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, smut in later chapters, tattoo artist au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-24 06:15:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4908484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonedudewiththename/pseuds/thatonedudewiththename
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The waves of positivity and energy that were flowing off of Sean were beginning to have an effect on Vinny; already, he could feel his mood become brighter, almost like sunshine breaking through clouds after a storm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always a slut for tattoo artist aus

Five minutes into breakfast, Vinny had already finished his coffee and was working on tattoo designs for his sleeve, which was still in progress; it was also for his portfolio for this tattoo shop he was applying at.

He'd been going to this café since he'd moved to New York—only place near his flat that had decent coffee–but just recently, about a month ago, he saw another guy coming in at the same time as him—small, stature-wise, with the top of his undercut dyed green. He had some kind of tattoo sticking out from the collar of the ratted hoodie he wore; green and red splatters, but that was all Vinny could make out. Other than that, the guy was pale, like extremely pale, and from the little Vinny had heard him speak he had some kind of accent. He also had a lot of piercings and his ears were gauged up to an inch and a half or so—today, he had the black and green plugs in, and was wearing those black skinny jeans that were so tight and ripped that they shouldn't even be classified as pants and that same ratted grey hoodie he wore every time he was there.

Vinny took his usual spot in the corner of the café facing outwards toward the room, the second barista seeing him and motioning if he wanted his usual. Vinny nodded as he took out his sketchbook and flipped to the design he'd been working on last night; all he needed to work on now was the rest of the inking and he'd be done with his portfolio for now, or at least until he drew something else that he thought was good enough to be included.

In front of him to his left, about a table or two away, was the guy that had intrigued him for so long, at least since he started showing up at the café. He was drinking black coffee and texting on his phone—Vinny could barely make out the name, but it looked like it said Mark. He was interrupted in his analysis of the other man by the barista bringing him his medium coffee with two sugars and a pump of caramel creamer, him giving the barista the eight bucks he owed for the drink. After that, he finished inking the design and erasing the pencil lines, and then started sketching the man in front of him on a blank page near the back.

He'd drawn the guy a couple times, mostly just the back of his head or the details of the visible tattoos he had, but this morning Vinny felt like drawing all of him, so that's what he started doing.

 

After about an hour, he finished and the guy left, leaving his cup behind. Vinny eyed it, and, after making sure no one was looking, took it with him back to his apartment. As he went, he read the name: Jack. He smiled lightly and held the cup tighter.

 

+

 

It was the weekend and time for Vinny's interview at Septic Tattoos, the closest tattoo shop to his apartment and, since it just opened up, the one most likely to hire him.

Out of his cab and into the shop he went, portfolio in hand and dressed in a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his tattoos and hairy forearms and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans (though not too skinny), with a pair of grey boots on his feet. He, for once, had his brown hair put up in a bun—he had an undercut, so it wasn't too hard—showing off the blond strip that he had put in it on a whim.

He stopped at the front desk and waited for the guy behind it to finish with whatever he was doing on the computer so he could talk. Seconds later, the dark-haired guy looked up. "Vinny, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Vinny answered.

"Right on time." The guy smiled. It was lopsided, but the guy's teeth were white and perfect, which made him even more attractive. He had brown eyes that were small and definitely Asian—Korean, it looked like, though he didn't appear to be full. He had a semi-undercut that was pink on the top and had a septum piercing with his ears pierced, but not gauged. His skin was a yellow-based light brown, almost golden, which contrasted with the pale pink shirt he wore. The cut of the shirt accentuated his muscular physique, and if Vinny was being honest with himself, it was kind of intimidating.

The guy held out his hand to shake; Vinny noticed that he didn't have any visible tattoos, which for a tattoo shop employee was odd. 'They're probably all under his shirt,' He thought. Back in reality, he shook the guy's hand. "I'm Mark, glad you could make it!" The man, now named Mark, greeted.

The name rang a bell in Vinny's head; Jack had been talking to a guy named Mark at the café the other day. Crazy coincidence. Vinny shook Mark's hand and smiled a bit, "Glad you guys decided to give me a chance." He said.

"Well, you're our only applicant, so it wasn't hard." Mark told him, shrugging.

"Weird."

"Yeah! Well, come on back, Sean is waiting for you."

Sean, huh? That's an interesting name. Vinny didn't know any Sean's, or if he did he'd forgotten them. Not an extremely common name by any means, but then again he didn't get out much so hey, you never know.

Where Mark led him to was an office with a computer and a tattoo chair, lots of art lining the walls and resting against the dresser that housed all of the tattooing equipment. And there, sitting in the desk at the computer was _Jack,_ apparently engrossed in a very large and detailed piece of art. Mark knocked on the open door and called out to him. "Jack, the artist is here."

Jack looked up and took out an earbud that Vinny hadn't noticed was there from his ear—even from where he was standing in the doorway, he could hear heavy metal music blasting from the small speaker. "Oh! Sorry!" Jack said, turning off his music and standing up, walking over to Vinny and shaking his hand. "Goodta meet ya, dude! I'm Jack, or Sean, eit'er one!"

"I know." Vinny told him. "I see you at the coffeeshop every morning."

Jack furrowed his brows as though contemplating something, and then a wave of realization washed over his face. "You're t'e guy who sits behind me, right? I t'ought ya looked familiar!"

Vinny nodded. "Yeah. I'm Vinny, by the way."

Jack's smile made Vinny's head feel lighter. "Goodta finally talk to ya, Vinny! Let's get t'is interview started, shall we?" Sean said. He motioned for Vinny to sit down in one of the extra chairs while Mark left to return to the front of the shop, Jack closing the door once Vinny was settled. "So, Vinny," He began. "How long've ya been a tattoo artist?"

"About ten years, though this'll be my first actual job as one. I was mostly freelance before." Vinny answered.

Jack moved his chair in front of Vinny, their knees almost touching. "Yeah? How was t'at?"

"Okay for the most part; I made enough to keep up my supplies and to buy some extra food here and there, plus I got to practice regularly on someone other than myself."

"Speakin' of, let's see some'a your stuff."

Vinny handed him his portfolio and watched as Jack flipped through it, nodding and making noises of approval, before pausing to look up at him with a bright grin. "'tese're really good! I like t'e dreamlike quality of t'em, sorta psychedelic, y'know?" He commented.  
Vinny smiled inwardly. "That's kind of what I was going for, so thank you."  
Jack beamed and continued flipping through the portfolio, skipping a few pages, and then coming to a stop near the back of the book. He hmm'd, which made Vinny furrow his brows. 

"Something wrong?" He asked.

There was a quiet moment, followed closely by Sean lifting his eyes to Vinny without moving his head. "Nothin'," He said, handing the portfolio back to Vinny, and then raising his head with a strange glint in his eyes; it kind of made Vinny feel uneasy. Jack crossed one leg over the other and clasped his hands over his knee, head falling somewhat to his right; his posture was closed, but his aura was friendly, even though that off-putting glint was still there. Needless to say, Vinny was getting a lot of mixed signals. 

"So, Vinny," Jack began, "Do ya believe ye have a good work ethic?"

"I'd like to think so, yeah."

Jack nodded some more, hmm'd some more. A part of Vinny's mind was yelling at him that this was going poorly. 'Back to job searching, I guess.' He thought with distaste. Jack shifting his position snapped his attentions back to the interview currently underway. "When are ye available?" Sean questioned, now sitting slouched in his chair with his arms crossed and legs open.

"I'm free to work whenever. I don't do much." Vinny answered—yikes, that's not a good thing to say to a potential employer; damage was already done, though. Thankfully, Jack laughed, a high-pitched sound that reminded Vinny of a tinkling bell. It was nice. 

"I like ye, Vinny! I have'a feelin' you 'n I're gonna get along very well."

For some reason that made Vinny feel warm. He didn't think much on it, though. "I hope so."

Jack merely grinned in response, shifting his position once more so that it appeared that he was about to stand up. Seconds later, he did, holding out his veiny hand for Vinny to shake in closing. "Welp, Vinny, what's t'e earliest ye can start?" He asked.

Vinny stood up and shook his hand, the light roughness contrasting with the callousness of his own hand. The hand felt natural in his, which only made his heart thump harder. "Tomorrow, if that's what you need." He answered the previous inquiry.

"Awesome! Does eleven work fer ya?"

"In the morning?" Vinny thought a moment. "I suppose so."

"Great!"

The waves of positivity and energy that were flowing off of Sean were beginning to have an effect on Vinny; already, he could feel his mood become brighter, almost like sunshine breaking through clouds after a storm. 'Weird.' Vinny thought, but hey, he wasn't complaining—not in the slightest. In fact, he thought perhaps it'd be an upside to the new job. Better than feeling gross at work, anyway.   
Both men left the privacy of Jack's office to rejoin Mark at the front desk. Mark was rearranging the jewelry in the display cases while singing quietly along to the song playing over the speakers—something Vinny recognized but couldn't remember the name of. In any case, Mark had a nice voice, and not a moment after he and Jack had arrived, Jack began singing along, as well, Mark seeming to take accompaniment in stride. Vinny watched and listened to them sing together, their voices so contrasting that they fit together in some strange way; Jack's was more throaty and seemingly without wide range, while Mark's was clear and fit for a stage.   
When the song was over, the duo high-fived each other. "Killin' it!" Jack shouted.

"As always, bro!" Mark replied, equally as loud.

Apparently they did this often. Good thing Vinny had a pretty ok singing voice in case they decided to make their duo a trio. He made for the front door with a wave of his hand. "See you guys tomorrow." He called.

"See ya, Vinny!" Both Jack and Mark called after him.

And with that, Vinny left for his apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vinny's first day.

Around ten the next morning, Vinny awoke to get ready for his new job. He'd showered the previous night, so all he needed to do was brush his teeth, wash his face, dress, and then eat something for breakfast. 

Breakfast was a bowl of granola with fruit and a glass of orange juice—weirdly healthy, but then again Vinny had always been a healthy person; aside from his smoking, of course, but he was cutting back as of recently, so that didn't really count.

After breakfast, he gathered all of his tattoo supplies and loaded them into a cab with the help of the driver, then locked up before getting in the aforementioned cab and heading to work. He arrived a few minutes early and was greeted with Mark just opening up. When he saw him, he waved as best he could past the handful of stuff he had occupying his arms in a large plastic container. "Hey! Need some help?" Mark asked, clipping the keys back to his waist and opening the door.

"Sure." Vinny answered. Before he could say anything more, Mark took the container from him and carried it single-handedly into the shop, somewhat like he was carrying small packets of paper under his arm. Vinny's mouth turned up, his eyes roaming over Mark's large and flexing muscles. 'He could snap me in half, probably.' He thought absently. Unsurprisingly, the imagery didn't turn him off at all.

With Mark's help, the duo managed to get all of Vinny's equipment into his office near the back of the shop, where Jack was asleep in the break room on one of the sofas. "Figured he slept here." Mark muttered under his breath.

"Is that a common occurrence?" Vinny asked.

"Sometimes he doesn't go home for three days," Mark said, "Caught him trying to shower in the sink once."

"Dedicated, I guess." 

"I was gonna go with 'stupid', but yeah, that works, too."

As Vinny was setting all of his stuff up, Mark stole across the hall to Jack's side, whereupon he proceeded to lightly tickle Jack's cheek, making Sean stir. "I know t'at's you, Mark, ya fucker..." He grumbled, curling up tighter. His accent was a lot thicker when he was sleepy and Vinny found it kind of cute.

"Stop sleeping here, Jack, you're gonna ruin your back." Mark reprimanded him. "If you don't want to take the bus home at night, just call me, dude."

"No, I don't wantcha drivin' while yer tired." 

Mark lightly kicked the sofa, making Jack whine lowly. Mark did it again, saying, "Stop being a baby."

"Suck my ass."

Vinny snorted. The sound must've alerted Jack to his presence, because when he made the noise Jack sat up and looked at him. Upon seeing him, he grinned wide, though he still looked sleepy, his green hair sticking up every which way. "Vinny!! Hey!!" He cried.

Vinny gave a slight nod, a small smile. "Morning, Jack. Sleep alright?" He asked.

Jack launched off of the sofa and took out a pack of gum from his front right pocket, popping a stick into his mouth as he made his way over to Vinny, who was arranging his colours of ink in the middle drawer of the shelf that'd been in the room; Mark waved to Vinny and made for his own office—Vinny hadn't been aware that he was also an artist, but then again he should've figured, considering Jack was the only other one here. In any case, Mark left and Sean sat beside him on the floor, bouncing up and down a little like the energy in his body was creating springs under him that kept propelling him upwards only to come back down again. Already, Vinny could feel that contagious energy affecting him, flowing over his insides and brightening his mood. God, it felt— "D'ya wanna have dinner after work?" The sound of Jack's voice snapped Vinny back to reality.

"Huh?" He questioned.

Sean's cheeks were somewhat pink; an after effect of sleeping, probably. "T' celebrate yer first day, y'know? You, me, 'n Mark all hangin' out an' having fun." 

"Oh." While the idea was not all together unpleasant, Vinny had plans after work to start working on a new song. However, the anticipation and excitement in Jack's eyes changed his mind about turning him down—besides, he could work on the song during today's dead hours or something. Not like he had a deadline or anything, anyway. "Sure, man, sounds like fun." He smiled.

"Awesome!!" Was Jack's only response, that plus a sunshine grin and bright, wide eyes. Vinny felt his face heat up at how excited he seemed to be; there was no need for it, in his mind anyway, considering it was just him and he wasn't all that great or interesting anyway, but hey, he wasn't a killjoy, so if Jack was this excited to hang out with his boring ass for a night, then who was he to be a jerk about it?  
The ringing of the bell above the front entrance made Jack turn his head and stand up, Vinny looking around him, as well, to see what was happening. The two of them walked out to where Mark was servicing their first customer of the day, an elderly couple who were holding hands and talking in turns. Mark was speaking very loudly and clearly, which the two older people seemed to appreciate. When they saw Jack and Vinny, they waved politely. In response, Jack and Vinny waved back.

It turns out they only came in for a consultation, but promised to return once they'd made up their minds about what to get; it was a couple's tattoo, obviously, considering they'd been together for over four decades, and was their gift to each other for their upcoming 55th anniversary. Vinny found it cute, though the thought of being in a relationship with someone for that long terrified him. However, Jack seemed to find it incredibly endearing, even commenting after they left that he'd like to have a marriage like that some day; not any time soon, of course. He was still young and had a lot he wanted to do before he settled down. For some reason, Vinny was relieved that he felt that way.

A few more people showed up in the remaining hours—a lady in her mid-forties, a teenager with their mom, multiple college kids, and roughly four people in their twenties looking to just "browse". Vinny had one customer that day—the teenager—who got a very simple but meaningful tattoo of a rose that had the name of their beloved pet cat who had died recently underneath it. The teen was more than willing to talk at length about the animal, Vinny listening quietly but attentively to them as they rambled on and on about some thing or another concerning their pet, while Vinny tattooed their upper arm, finishing up within an hour or so and waving goodbye to them after telling them what they needed to do in regards to the aftercare of the tattoo.

Hours passed and it was time for lunch—a late one, since Vinny lost track of time and worked on his song through lunch; he'd always been a forgetful person, so it wasn't all entirely surprising. In any case, he put his notebook away and got up to tell Jack he was going on break—only to find that Sean was just about to enter his office. He raised his eyebrows slightly and came to a stop in front of him. "Hey, I was just about to come talk to you." Vinny said.

"Didye go on break already?" Jack asked, bouncing a little in place.

"Just about to. Why do you ask?" Vinny answered.

"Oh! 'Cause I haven't, eit'er! Wanna..." Sean rocked back and forth on his heels, twisting up his mouth with his hands in his pockets. "...Go t' lunch with me? My treat!"

Vinny nodded; shit, free food? "Sure, lead the way."

 

+

 

A Panera bread had opened up about a block from the shop, and Vinny had been meaning to try it out, so that's where they went; fairly busy, though not to the extent that Vinny was discouraged from eating there. The homely atmosphere was nice, actually.

They sat at one of the booth tables and order their food via the Panera website, then waited for it to arrive. "What'd ye get?" Jack asked as Vinny was slipping his phone back into his front pocket.

"Sandwich with a salad." Vinny answered. "You?"

"T'e tortilla soup with a small side salad, plus a sandwich fer t'e road." 

"Hungry?"

"I might be later."

Fair enough. Vinny watched Jack from his position across from him, leaning back in his bench seat and crossing his arms over his chest; he observed Sean, seeing how he was sweating a little around his neck, how he continuously tapped his fingers on the table like he was drumming to some music that no one else could hear, and how his lips moved to tell Vinny something that he wasn't paying enough attention to to hear. Vinny blinked and questioned, "What?"

"I asked if it was hot in here." Jack told him. He was smiling in the usual way he did and his posture was relaxed.

"Oh. Uhm, not really." Vinny replied.

"J'st me, t'en." 

Just as Vinny was about to say something in response—ask if he was sick, or something similar—Jack gripped the bottom of his long sleeve shirt and pulled it up over his head, freeing him from the restricting fabric and briefly flashing Vinny with his hairy and lean torso, before the tank top he was wearing underneath slid back down and covered him. That was when Vinny felt the heat that Jack had been talking about earlier. "That's a _lot_ better, _Jesus!"_ Sean cried once he'd tied the shirt around his waist.

Vinny was no longer paying attention again—the sight of that elusive arm tattoo had captured his attention, and he was intensely examining it, or at least as well as he could from where he sat across the table from him. It was a giant, seemingly infected eye, all green and goopy with a bright blue iris and red veins branching like forks of lightning all around it. The tendrils (he couldn't remember what those retinal cable things were called) were intertwining and wrapping around his arm, all the way down to the pit of his elbow. Green, septic goop was splashing out and around his shoulder, arm, and part of his chest, reaching up to the base of his neck at the longest part. It was hyper-realistic, almost, but still cartoonish in a way that gave it an almost comical appearance. In any case, it was really cool and Vinny liked it a lot. Motion in his line of sight caused him to tear his eyes from the tattoo to Jack's face, which was grinning and bright, as usual. "Sam got ye, didn't he?" He said.

Vinny made a confused noise with his brows furrowing.

"Septic Eye Sam. My tattoo?"

"Oh." Vinny frowned his brows a little, a small smirk twitching the corners of his lips upward. "You named your tattoo?"

"So what if I did? What's it t'ya?" 

Vinny laughed, Jack pouting, though it seemed to be more humorous than anything. In comical defense of himself, he said, "I had him named _before_ I even got t'e tat, by t'e way." 

"I don't care if you name your tattoos, Jack. Just playing around." Vinny told him.

Jack giggled and rubbed the flats of his fingers over his cheek, his pale face turning slightly pink. 'Maybe it's just the lighting.' Vinny thought. As this was happening, a waiter came over and set their food down on the table. "Here you fellas are! Enjoy your meal!" They said cheerily.

Vinny and Jack both thanked them simultaneously. The waiter left with a little wave, which Vinny thought was a nice touch to the homely air of the restaurant. "T'is looks great!" Jack commented aloud. "I hope it's spicy!"

"Strange, coming from a white guy." Vinny mumbled just loud enough to be audible a foot or so away.

"Y'know what, Vinny! Why did I hire you if yer just gonna roast me?"

Vinny merely looked at him and bit into his sandwich, smirking, though you couldn't see it past his mouthful of food. Sean shook his head and began to toss his salad with his fork, mixing in the dressing he'd chosen, coating the pine nuts and craisins along with the green leafy veggies in the seasoned oil. 

 

Jack ended up eating the sandwich he'd planned on saving before they left the restaurant, which Vinny wasn't at all surprised by, though Sean seemed upset as they walked back to the shop. "Man! Damn my lack of self-control!" He kicked out and sent a pebble flying into the back of a lady's stroller. "Now I'm gonna be starvin' later!"

They walked past the lady with the stroller, who was trying to uncover why one wheel had stopped turning, only to discover a pebble logged in it. Vinny made sure not to make eye contact. "We only have four hours until closing, can't you wait that long? I mean—" He paused to press the crosswalk button. "—we're going for dinner afterwards."  
Jack seemed to recall that little factoid and started bouncing in place, which Vinny smiled softly at; he really did seem excited to hang out with him. In fact, he'd been excited this whole time, not once showing signs of being bored or disinterested in talking with him or being around him. Could it be that... he really did enjoy being around him? Honestly, the idea was unfathomable, in Vinny's mind anyway, but then again... maybe not? "Vinny?" Jack's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Hm?" He turned to Jack as they strode across the crosswalk, making a noise of inquiry. 

Sean scratched the back of his neck and lowered his gaze to the ground. "Wouldye... be entirely turned off if I asked ye what yer dating preference is?"

Vinny shrugged. "Not really. You could just ask me what my sexuality is, yaknow."

"Oh. Ahm..."

"I'm bisexual, Jack."

Upon hearing that, there was a more noticeable spring in his step; Vinny wasn't dense, if anything he was more keen than average, and knew exactly what these little telltale signs meant. What he didn't know was how to take them. Like, yeah, he... liked, Jack, in some form—well, in only one form, romantically, but he wasn't sure if he would be ready to date anyone. He was a commitmaphobe, so to speak. But he knew that if he didn't do something, he'd lose the opportunity, probably forever, so he said quietly, "What about you?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. Ahmmmm... Bi too, I guess. Though I prefer guys more, I s'ppose."

Unsurprising, in Vinny's eyes, anyway. He nodded slowly and whispered under his breath, "Nice." 

Jack didn't seem to hear him. 'Good, I didn't need him to.' Vinny thought. 

 

Pretty soon, they'd arrived back at the shop and went inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably going to be really long lmao


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That dinner we talked about earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Really quickly, before he went out with Jack and Mark, he ran home and changed into a long sleeve shirt and jacket, then headed back to the shop, where Jack was closing up, Mark flanking him on the left holding a container of paper and writing utensils. Jack turned after he locked the door and, upon seeing Vinny, he bounced a little and skipped up to him. "Hey!!" He cried, looking Vinny up and down. "You ready?"

Vinny shifted his weight under Jack's gaze and smiled softly. "Yeah, are you guys?"

At this point, Mark butt in. "Yeah, we just have to drop this stuff off at my place."

The two of them got into Mark's car, Vinny getting into the back seat with Jack, as the passenger seat was covered in junk. "How can you afford to park in this city?" Vinny asked Mark.

"I own the building and, consequently, the parking space." Mark answered.

"I paid fer half!" Jack added.

 _"My_ name is on the lease though." Mark replied.

Jack kicked the back of the seat, making Mark slide the seat back to smack Jack's knees. Vinny buckled his seatbelt in the meantime, just in case they acted like this while the car was in motion.

Mark lived in a really nice apartment complex, with a password-locked gate and pool and everything. Vinny had a feeling that doing tattoos was not Mark's only job. "Alright, I'll be right back, then we can head to dinner." Mark told them. He picked up his stuff in one hand and headed to the stairs that led to his flat, Vinny not overlooking how Mark seemed to flex in expectation of someone watching him. He appreciated the sight and then looked back to Sean, who was playing with Mark's stereo, using the Bluetooth audio player to connect to his phone and broadcast his heavy music through the speakers of the car. "Intense." Vinny said.

"T'is is one'a my fave songs!" Jack shouted.

Vinny nodded; he wasn't really into metal, but his friend Joel was. 'Maybe they would get along better,' He thought, somewhat upset. However, he didn't get to dwell on the thought long, as Jack changed the song to something softer; it had a female singer, and the sound was somewhat dreamlike, sort of like a band he'd just gone to see last week. He listened to the lyrics and felt his cheeks warm. _"Everybody wants to know, if we fucked on the bathroom sink, how your hands felt in my hair, if we were high on amphetamines. And everybody wants to hear, how we chain smoked until three, and how you laughed when you said my name, and how you gripped my hips so mean."_

"This is... nice." Vinny commented. He looked to Jack to find that he was red-faced and staring at Vinny with his eyes shining—Vinny couldn't seem to look him in the eyes and turned slightly away. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I-I'm..." Jack began. "Just..." 

He reached out and brushed his fingers gently across the top of Vinny's own hand on his thigh. At the contact, Vinny dug his nails into the fabric, causing Jack to recoil slightly. They were still staring at each other, grey-green eyes in sea blue, and then finally, Sean intertwined his fingers with Vinny's. Vinny couldn't breathe and, in all honesty, he was in complete distress over this action, over everything happening right now. "Jack, I don't..." He tried to say.

"What?" Jack moved closer to him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted.

Before Vinny could say anything more, the car beeped, signaling Mark's return to the car. Jack held his hand for a second longer, just until Mark opened the driver side door and got in, then he let go and moved back to his side of the backseat. Vinny rubbed his hand over his face and stared out of the window, a perpetual expression of worry etched into his features.

 

+

 

Dinner was at a bar that Jack and Mark apparently frequented; Vinny had heard of it from a friend, but had never been, so destiny or whatever. They had a booth seat, the bartender giving them their regular and a complimentary pint of beer for Vinny—on the house, which Vinny didn't mind, since, yaknow, free shit.  
There was an old-timey jukebox in the corner of the bar that Mark was messing with as he nursed his bottle of hard cider. Jack was drinking more heavily than both his friend and Vinny, who'd only drank about a fourth of his pint—Jack was on his second glass of beer already. "You should take it easy." He told him.

Jack jumped a bit at the sound of Vinny's voice, almost like he'd forgotten that Vinny was there. "Huh?" He said.

"You should slow down on the alcohol," Vinny repeated. "We just got here."

"Right." Jack mumbled, setting his drink down. "I'm j'st a li'l–"

"–nervous?" Vinny finished quietly.

Jack drank more of his beer. Vinny quietly sipped more of his own. 

Songs that Mark had put into a playlist on the jukebox was what played the whole time they were there, Mark making conversation with the both of them, though Sean more often than not would redirect the question to Vinny. Every time he would look over at Jack over the course of the night, the expression on his face would become increasingly more intense—though in what way, Vinny wasn't entirely sure; sexually? Romantically? Both seemed equally as likely. Regardless, Vinny made an effort to keep how uncomfortably flustered he felt. Like, okay, they'd only just started working together. Hell, they'd only just met two days ago! But, already, Jack was looking at him like he was in love with him. And Vinny would be damned if he said he didn't feel the same way.

 

+

 

A couple hours later, Mark had to head home, so a heavily buzzed Vinny and a drunk Jack both took the same cab since Vinny didn't trust Jack to go home by himself, Vinny telling the driver the address Mark gave him so they could head to Jack's apartment.  
The flat in question came into view about ten minutes later. Vinny paid the driver and then took Jack up to his apartment, using his keys to get inside. "Vinny," Jack slurred, pulling at the jacket Vinny was wearing in an attempt to take it off. "I w-want you... please."

"No." Vinny said, and dropped Jack onto his sofa. Jack let out an oof and curled up onto his side. However, he was still holding onto Vinny's jacket.

"Don't go, Vinny... I love you, please don't leave me..." He begged.

Vinny rolled his eyes; he might as well just spend the night, it's not like he wanted to spend another $30 on a cab ride. So, he detached Sean from his coat and went down to tell the cabbie that he'd be staying, and then went back up to the flat and to the living room, where he took off his shoes and coat and laid down onto Jack's other sofa, quickly falling asleep.

 

Vinny woke up roughly an hour or so later to the feeling of someone touching his shoulder. He blearily opened his eyes to find Jack staring at him in the dim light, no longer as drunk as he had been. The sky was light outside, so Vinny was guessing it was close to dawn. "What is it, Jack?" He grumbled, sitting up.

"You're here," Jack said quietly. 

"Yeah. I didn't feel like spending more money to go home, so..." He shrugged. "Y' don't mind, do you?"

Jack shook his head, smiling softly. After a second or so, he took Vinny's hand and tugged on his arm gently, signaling for him to stand up, so Vinny did, brows furrowed slightly. Jack led him down the hall and to the doorway of his room, whereupon Vinny pulled his hand away. "I don't think..." He tried to protest.

Jack turned around placed a hand onto Vinny's cheek, cupping it and staring deep into his eyes—at least, as well as he could in the dim light. "Vinny," His voice was soft and dripping with emotion. "It's okay."

God, Vinny couldn't believe this was happening. Every part of him wanted this, but for some reason he just... couldn't bring himself to move. "Jack, I... I really like you." He blurted.

The sleepy smile of Jack in response made his lack of thought worth it. Jack took a step forward and kissed him fully, Vinny, upon immediate contact, wrapped his arms around Jack's waist and lifted him a little off the ground, pressing into him and groaning. He felt Jack smile into the kiss, sliding his hands into his hair and tugging lightly. That warranted a breathy moan from Vinny, who broke the kiss momentarily to remove his shirt, Jack doing the same before he reached down and unbuttoned Vinny's jeans and then his own. Vinny almost fell over in his rush to take off his pants and underwear, hearing and seeing Jack giggle at his antics. "Excited?" He said quietly.

"I guess you could say that." Vinny replied equally as silent. He took a step towards Jack and slipped his hands around to the back of his hips and maneuvered him onto the bed, resting on his hands and knees above him. For some reason, he felt excruciatingly nervous, even though this was not his first time having sex with another guy; looking down at Jack, he became even more nervous, especially when he saw how flustered and horny he appeared to be. It was like Vinny was scared to fuck this up. He liked Jack, a lot, so if he messed this up who knew what could happen. "Vinny," Jack's voice was a breathless whimper, "Please just touch me."

Vinny decided to stop thinking. He bent down and kissed Jack's neck, placing wet and featherlight kisses over the heated skin, earning him a cacophony of loud, higher pitched keens and mewls, Jack's nails digging crevices into the skin of his back, his legs writhing and toes curling. "Vinny... please..." He begged. "I- I've waited s-so long..."

Vinny sat back a little in shock. "What?"

Jack could barely keep his eyes open and his entire face and upper part of his chest was pink and red. "I only w-went to that café because... you were there."

There were a few seconds where Vinny couldn't process that information; Jack... knew? This whole time? "Why didn't you say anything?" He questioned.

"You were so beautiful, I was s-scared."

Never before in Vinny's life had he ever wanted to kiss someone more than he did in that moment. "Jack," He breathed, and then kissed Jack full force, cupping his face and slipping his tongue into his mouth. Jack wrapped his arms and legs around him and kissed him in return with equally as much vigor, or at least that's what Vinny was feeling. After a moment, he slid his lips down, down to Jack's crotch, blowing cool air over Jack's overheated skin, making Jack bow up off of the bed and release a pleasured cry. "Ohhhh Vinny!"

Vinny licked up the underside of the hard dick flopped against Jack's hairy stomach, Jack whimpering and clutching the bedsheets under his hands. Vinny could hear him hyperventilating heavily through his nose, clearly trying to keep the noise down. "Be as loud as you want, sweetheart." He told him softly. He then took Jack's entire dick into his mouth and suckled.

"CHRIST! Oh Jeeesus!! Vinny!" Jack gasped. His hips thrusted up into Vinny's mouth and he thrashed at the feeling of Vinny swirling his tongue and grazing his teeth across the sensitive surface. "Fuck!"

Vinny groaned and dug his nails into the flesh of Jack's pale thighs; fuck, that was so hot, he could already feel the pulsing in his dick due to the sounds. He pulled off of Jack's hard cock, strings of saliva and precum connecting his lips to it. Jack whimpered. "Vinny, please, I need you so bad, please." 

"God, Jack," Vinny licked and kissed up the surface of Jack's hairy torso to his ear, where he nipped at it as he whispered, "You're so fucking gorgeous," He suckled on the skin just under his ear. "You make me so horny."

Jack moaned like Vinny had hit his prostate even though he was barely touching him. "Just! Fuck! Me! Vinny, PLEASE!" He begged.

Vinny honestly didn't even have to be told twice. He crawled off of the bed and stumbled to his wallet, where he had a condom in one of the slots. Taking it out, he walked to where Jack had motioned that the lube was and took that, as well, slicking his fingers with it while he crawled back on top of Jack. Using those lubed fingers, he slowly began to work Jack open, fingerfucking him carefully and smoothly, feeling Jack tremble under him. The man was shaking, his breath shuddering and heavy; God, Vinny was so fucking turned on right now, it was absolutely unreal. "Vinny... you're t'e... b-best thing that's ever happened to me..." Jack managed to stammer out.

A large part of Vinny found that sincerely difficult to believe, but regardless he picked up the pace of his fingers and bent them so that he pressed into Jack's prostate. Upon contact, Jack writhed and cried out. "Fuck! Vinny!!"

Four fingers was when Vinny stopped and pulled out, rubbing more lube onto his dick and condom before he positioned himself over Jack and, using his hand to guide him, pushed his dick into Jack's slightly tight ass, hissing the whole way in. Jack could not make a sound; his mouth was agape, neck craning back and hands gripping the bedspread so hard his knuckles were white. His heels were bruising Vinny's thighs and his toes were curling. The pain from Jack's heels was only making Vinny harder, if that were physically possible, but in any case he could almost not control himself because Jack felt literally so fucking amazing around him, it was like they were made to be together. "Jack, you f-feel so... I'm..." He tried to convey.

"Fuck me, fuck me, Vinny, please!" Jack was whimpering.

Vinny began to slide in and out, thrusting slowly and methodically, aiming for Jack's prostate with each hard snap of his hips; outside of the two of them, the world didn't exist. It couldn't, because there was nothing else in the world that could ever compare to what Vinny was experiencing right now. The sensation, the sounds, the touch, the way Jack looked like he was going out of his mind with pleasure, like he was overwhelmed, it was... heaven. Nothing made sense except this, right here, right now, and honestly, Vinny wouldn't have had it any other way.

He picked up speed, banging the bed into the wall and driving Jack into the mattress, the both of them keening and moaning and kissing each other wherever their mouths could reach, lacing their fingers together with Jack's hands raised almost above his head, holding hands while they fucked—no, made love, Vinny pounding into Jack's ass, hitting his prostate repeatedly each time. Vinny freed one hand and reached between their bodies so he could pump the neglected and weeping cock of Jack, driving him into a frenzy with the overstimulation of the out of rhythm pumping and thrusting; Vinny bent down and rested his head on Jack's hairy chest, slowing his pace to instead slam into Jack as hard as he could, and that was it. His breathing quickened, and then Jack let out a low, drawn-out groan of Vinny's name as he came all over himself and Vinny, his ass tightening around Vinny's dick, driving him straight over the edge. He came with a shout of Jack's name into his condom and collapsed atop him, barely managing to pull out before he rolled over to the side of Jack, who was shaking and shivering. He took off his condom and tossed it over the side of the bed, turning back to Jack just in time for him to latch onto him like a leech. The warmth and intimacy, plus the exhaustion from both the sex and lack of sleep caressed them both into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vinny's and Jack's date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: Mark is aromantic in this fic.

Bright sunlight streaming in through the crack in the curtains across from Vinny woke him up hours later; lethargy in his limbs and heavy eyelids was what greeted him as he awoke, as well as an arm thrown across his ribs. The weight and warmth of it made him turn his head to see who was there—Jack. Upon laying eyes on him, everything from earlier that day came rushing back to him at top speed, and a tightness in his chest and solar plexus knocked the wind out of him; this was... different, like yeah he'd slept with people before, had one-night stands, but never with someone who he liked as much as he liked Jack. Looking at him sleeping peacefully, intertwined with him, it made Vinny... happy, as though this was the only thing he would ever want in the whole of space and time. Smiling softly, he kissed Jack, causing him to stir a little, but remain in a deep sleep. Slowly, so as not to wake him, Vinny detached himself from Jack and rolled out of bed, standing and stretching his cramped and achy limbs, hearing multiple joints pop and crack, including his fingers. After that, he picked up his clothes from the floor, walking out to where his shoes and jacket were near the sofa, slipping into his clothes as he did. Finding his phone in the right side pocket of his coat, he unlocked it and checked the time—11:47 in the AM, with two texts and a call from Mark. He swore under his breath because shit, he'd forgotten to tell him that Jack had made it home safely. Pulling up his texts, he sent one to Mark saying, _"sorry I passed out when I got to jacks place"_

A moment later, Mark replied. _"you stayed at his apartment?"_

_"yeah I slept on the couch"_

_"is that ALL u did?"_

Vinny twisted up his mouth. _"yeah"_

_"hmm ok. can u come in today for a bit? I need some help cleaning the break room"_

Was Vinny doing anything today? Not really. _"yeah why not. When do u need me?"_

_"whenever you're able. no rush :)"_

_"okay. See ya"_

_"later skater"_

Just as Vinny put his phone back into his pocket, he heard the rustling of fabric behind him, followed by Jack's voice saying, "Vinny?" in a sleepy tone.

He turned around... and was taken completely off guard by how beautiful Jack looked; his green hair was a mess, his sea blue eyes were half-lidded, his pink lips were slightly swollen and parted, his cheeks the same colour, and he'd wrapped himself in a white sheet from his bed. For a second, Vinny couldn't breathe. "H...hey." He mumbled.

There was a smile creeping onto Jack's countenance when he locked eyes with Vinny. "You're still here." He stated quietly.

"Of course," Vinny replied, shrugging himself out of his previous trance. "Why wouldn't I be?"

There was no verbal reply from Sean—instead, he stepped forward until he was about eight inches from Vinny, and then, somewhat dramatically, opened his blanket, revealing his naked body to Vinny for a moment before he wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you." Vinny heard him whisper.

"For what?" He asked quietly.

"Not leavin' me."

Oh. That was kinda obvious, wasn't it? Vinny hugged Jack in return, and kissed his forehead. "I wouldn't dream of it." 

They stayed that way for another minute or so, until Jack stepped back and smiled brightly. "So! What're ya gonna do today? We're off until tomorrow!" He asked.

"Mark wants me to come in and help him clean the break room. After that I'm not busy." Vinny answered.

"We could meet up after if ya want. We could go t' t'e park! T'ere'sa really nice ice cream shop I like to visit—"

"Whatever you want, Jack." Vinny cut in, smiling. "Text me the plans, okay? I'm gonna go help Mark."

"Okay!" Jack kissed him, standing on his toes somewhat as Vinny was a couple of inches taller than him. Vinny enjoyed the feeling for as long as he could, pulling away after some time as he wanted to get the cleaning done as early as he could. 

"I'll see you in a bit, alright?" He told Jack.

"Yeah! Yea, go help Mark, 'm gonna shower and stuff." Jack waved.

Vinny waved in return, and then left out of the front door.   
He caught a cab a block away and rode in it to the tattoo shop, where Mark was waiting outside as Vinny had texted him on the way over that he was on his way. When he got out, Mark made a motion of greeting and looked him over. "Same clothes?" He said.

"I'm a man of simple tastes." Vinny shrugged.

"Whatever, bro. Let's do this."

Vinny followed Mark into the building and to the break room, which didn't look very tidy, unlike the rest of the shop. "I see what you mean." He commented.

"I'll sweep, you can start wiping off the counters 'n shit." Mark pointed to the cabinet under the sink. "Wipes are in there."

Vinny opened the cabinet and took out the tub of disinfectant wipes and began to clean the counters and sink, scrubbing stains in some parts and simply swiping across the fake granite countertops in others; it was quiet as the two of them worked, for the most part, the distant sound of the music drifting into the room from the reception area, cutting at the deafening silence in some small way. When Vinny thought he was finished, he threw the used wipes away and returned the container to its place under the sink, turning to Mark to find that he, too, was finished with his chore. Mark looked at him and pointed to the sofa. "Help me move it?" He requested.

No verbal response was given, Vinny instead just grabbing one side of it while Mark took hold of the other. They pushed and pulled the large piece of furniture into a different area of the break room, against the opposite wall, which made the whole room look more open, oddly enough. "So, are you going out with him later?" Mark asked out of the blue whilst opening the mini fridge to check and see if it needed to be cleaned.

"Huh?" Vinny questioned from where he stood next to the coffee machine.

Mark glanced over his shoulder with raised brows. "I'm not stupid, Vinny, I know you two banged."

At the blunt way he said it, Vinny stiffened up a little; well fuck, he didn't think it was _that_ obvious, or maybe Mark was just really keen on that kind of thing. In any case, he cleared his throat inaudibly and asked, "Is that a problem?"

"If you're just gonna bag 'im and tag 'im, then yeah, it is." Mark stood up straight and, very much like a cat in danger, somehow managed to make himself look bigger than he already was, which was entirely unnecessary on his part since he was plenty intimidating due to his muscles and strong features. "Listen, Vinny," He walked closer to him. "You probably have no idea how much last night meant to Jack, so I'm gonna tell you right now that if you hurt him, if you used him in any way..." Mark picked up the small metal box that housed the sugar and creamer packets from the table and dumped it out, proceeding to look Vinny straight in the eyes and crush it with one hand without flinching. Vinny was both scared and aroused. "Get the picture?" Mark's voice was a near-growl from his chest, like thunder.

"Yeah." Vinny replied, nodding. "We're going out for ice cream after this."

Mark brightened considerably. "Awesome!" He walked back to the mini fridge and closed it, instead taking out a Swiffer mop and beginning to mop the floor. "It's that one place in a park, right?" He inquired.

"How'd you know?" Vinny replied.

"One, he's my best friend, how could I not know, and two," Mark pushed the table out of his way so he could mop. "That's where he took me on one of our last dates."

Not surprising; Vinny had had a feeling that he and Jack had dated at some point. "What happened? If you don't mind my asking." 

Mark shrugged. "We're better as friends. Doesn't mean I don't still love him, I mean we've been together forever."

Vinny nodded. "How long?"

"I wanna say..." Mark ripped off the dirty mop head and dropped it in the trash. "Ten years? Roughly. We met during the summer before junior year of high school. He was an exchange student from Ireland living with a family in my neighborhood and we both liked to climb the huge Evergreen tree in the park before the sun came up."

"Sounds romantic."

Mark's chuckle rolled out of him like crashing waves, or at least Vinny thought so. "I guess you could say that. There was a rumour going around that we were dating, but that wasn't for another eight years or so."

'High school best friends, huh?' Vinny thought. He'd sort of had a feeling it was something like that. "You're not dating anyone now, are you?" He asked.

"Why, are you interested?" Mark joked, making Vinny roll his eyes. Flipping the mop around in his hand, he set it back into the closet from whence it came while answering the previous inquiry. "No, I'm not, and I haven't since Jack. Even before him I'd never been with anyone; it's just never been my thing, y'know?"

"No, I get it. I don't really like dating, either." Vinny stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Permanence scares me."

Mark narrowed his eyes. "Mhm..." 

Vinny took out his phone and checked the time—twelve past one. "I have to leave here pretty soon."

"Right, you've got a date." 

Mark bent to fix his pantleg, which had come unrolled during the cleaning, and Vinny caught a glance down his shirt to his chest, which had a tattoo over the left pec. 'So that's where it's been hiding.' Vinny thought. He was about to ask Mark what the ink was, until his phone went off, alerting him that Jack was calling. He answered it. "Vinny here."

_"Hey! Are ye almost done?"_

"Yeah, I'm just about done here. I'm gonna shower then head back to your place. Is that okay?"

_"Yep! I'll be waiting, baby doll."_

At the pet name, Vinny chuckled lightly, hanging up the phone and putting it back into his pocket. "See ya, Mark." He said as he headed out to the hall.

"Bye, Vinny. Remember what I said!" Mark called after him.

"How could I forget?"

 

+

 

After a shower and a change into fresh clothes, Vinny rinsed his mouth with Listerine and spritzed some cologne on, and seeing as how he'd run out of deodorant and kept forgetting to buy more, he put some scented powder on his pits to keep them fresh, then texted Jack that he was on his way back to his place. About a minute later, he got a reply back that Jack would instead meet him a block from his complex, so that's where Vinny told the cab driver to take him.

It was a short ride, about eight minutes—traffic wasn't bad today, which was a relief for once. Vinny saw Jack out of his window talking with the proprietor of a flower stand, motioning to some of the kinds of flora the lady sold and listening intently. Vinny paid the cabbie and then got out of the car, making eye contact with the florist, who tapped Jack on the arm and waved him around, Jack spinning about so quickly that Vinny thought he would fall over. "Vinny!! You made it!!" He cried, bouncing up to him. He was wearing a faded, dark red V-neck shirt with the long sleeves pushed up to his elbows, with dark blue jeans that shaped to his legs so well and a few bracelets and a watch on his wrists. He looked really... really good. 

Blinking the thoughts that were forming away, Vinny smiled lightly at his antics and gave a nod. When he saw that Jack was holding something behind his back, he asked, "What'd you get me?"

Jack hopped in place, like he'd forgotten about the object until just now. "Oh! Right!" He said, and then whipped out a bright bouquet of flowers; roses, primarily, and other kinds that Vinny didn't know the names of. He grinned in spite of himself and took the prettily wrapped plants from him, holding them close to his chest. 

"I had a feeling that was what you'd gotten." He told Jack.

"Do you like them??" Jack asked. 

Vinny looked to him; he appeared so full of anticipation and excitement that he could burst apart at the seams. "Yeah, I do, Sean. Thank you." He answered.

Jack smacked the palms of his hands to his cheeks and giggled, a sweet sound that Vinny wanted to remember forever. Jack took Vinny's free hand into his and pulled him along down the street towards the crosswalk, where they crossed and headed towards a small park, which Vinny could see in the distance as having lots of trees with colourful leaves and flowers; even from where he was walking with Jack, he could smell the perfumes of the blossoms and began to feel slightly lightheaded. "You look really nice today, Vinny." Jack said.

"Hmm? Oh," Vinny replied, glancing down at himself briefly. "Thank you, Jack. So do you."

Jack just grinned like the sun shone only for him and swung his and Vinny's arms as they strolled, though Vinny had to bend his arm a little as Jack's were shorter than his. They kept it up until the park, and the ice cream shop, came into view, Jack bouncing on the front part of his feet and practically vibrating with energy; God, it was so contagious, Vinny could already feel himself become less tired and more active just by being around him, let alone the contact they shared with their hand holding. Being with somebody had never felt like this, and to be entirely honest, Vinny was a little scared. However, he pushed the thought away and focused on the date at hand—Jack had opened the door to the ice cream parlor for him, so he stepped through with a thanks and was greeted with the scent of waffle cones and bowls being baked, a sugary, toasted scent that for some reason gave him lots of nostalgia. Jack trailed in after him and waved to the person behind the counter, who waved in return with a smile. "The usual?" They asked.

Jack held up two fingers, and the person nodded and gave a thumbs up, turning to the various cones and ice creams and setting to work. "You must come here often." Vinny stated.

"Whenever I'm around, yea." Jack replied.

Vinny gave a nod, squeezing the hand in his own lightly, which warranted the cutest reaction from Jack—his cheeks turned pink and his shoulders tensed. It was almost like he was a teenager going on his first date. 'Cute.' Vinny thought. 

He didn't realize he was staring until Jack bumped his arm. "See somet'in' ya like?" He whispered.

Vinny shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts, then replied, equally as quiet, "Like, yea, and want."

Sean did that thing where he held his curled hands to his cheeks and giggled. Vinny wanted to kiss him so badly... Acting on impulse, he pulled Jack closer to him by the small of his back—being mindful of the flowers— and held him by the hand and kissed him, deeply and gently, for as long as he could, until Jack pulled away, gasping slightly. "What was..." He began, "that for?"

"Why not?" Vinny said.

Jack rested his forehead on Vinny's shoulder and smiled, one hand on Vinny's chest and the other still intertwined in his; they stayed that way for a little while longer, and then their orders were called up, the two of them grabbing their ice cream and walking out to the park across the street, whereupon they sat down at a bench under some cherry trees in the shade. 

Silence prevailed for a while, they just sitting and eating ice cream and pressing their legs together, enjoying the breeze and the sights and sounds of the nature around them. Vinny liked being outside away from people—like yeah, he could do that from his apartment, too, but there was something about being outside that made it more special, more believable, in a sense. Plus it was nice to have just him and Jack alone together, with no one around them, hence why he was now trying to kiss Jack in thanks for the ice dream. Jack held him by the shoulders and laughed, pushing him away. "I've got ice cream on my face, Vinny! And you've got it in yer beard." He told him.

Vinny licked his thumb and wiped the sticky dessert from Jack's face, keeping his hand there even after it was all gone. "There," He said quietly. "Still beautiful."

Jack diverted his gaze, as he couldn't turn his head. "Shut up."

Vinny kissed him over and over, which only made Jack more flustered, holding his cone out so it wouldn't get messed up. "Your beard! Vinny, t'e ice cream!"

Vinny sat back and wiped his face with one of the napkins he had in his pocket, crumpling it up and shoving it back in his pocket. "There, all clean." He said.

"I'm almos' done, ya needy." Sean twisted around and leaned against Vinny's side with his back; he sucked the rest of the ice cream out of his cone and then popped it into his mouth. Vinny had noticed that the bottom of the cone was coated in chocolate, which was pretty sweet, both figuratively and literally speaking, but Vinny wasn't really in the mood for sugary stuff, so he gave it to Jack. "You don't like it?" Jack asked.

"I'm too old to be eating a lot of sugar." Vinny replied.

This made Jack sit up and face him, brows furrowed and eyes squinted. "How old?"

"I'm 32, Jack."

"Oh, Jesus." Jack held a hand to his chest like he'd had a heart attack. "I thought you were WAY older, don't scare me like that."

"Would it've mattered if I was?"

There was a pause. "Hmm, probably not, unless you were like late forties 'r fifties 'r somet'in'. I don't really mind."

"People say I look young for my age."

"Ya do, I t'ought you were like in yer twenties like me."

"Nope, I'm a grandpa."

Jack bumped into him. "Shut up, no you're not."

"I'll have to start drinking prune juice soon."

"Stop."

"Wearing diapers, maybe even stop smoking."

Jack wrapped his arms around Vinny's neck and kissed him, tossing the ice cream cone he still had in his hand onto the ground behind the bench. Vinny hummed pleasurably and embraced him as tight as he could, one arm around his waist, the other on the back of his head and nape of his neck, tilting their faces so that the kiss could be deepened. Jack sighed and Vinny felt his weight fall onto him, taking it easily, doing his best not to let himself lie back on the bench, which was hard, uncomfortable, and probably really unsanitary. Anyway, Jack pulled away, though not by much, and looked Vinny in the eyes with slightly parted and shiny lips. "If ye want, we could..." He whispered.

Not entirely unexpected, but as much as he liked Jack and as well as this... date was going, he wasn't really in that kind of mood, so he said, "No," and smiled a little. "Let's just enjoy this, ok?"

Jack nodded, also smiling. "Alrighty," He agreed quietly, then sat back up with a retreating peck of Vinny's lips. When he was sat straight up, he asked, "What did you an' Mark talk about at t'e shop?"

"How'd you know we talked?" Vinny redirected.

"Mark likes t' hear himself, and he texted me after ya left."

Right, best friends and all that. Vinny ran a hand through his hair and propped an elbow up onto the back of the bench. "Mostly about how you two met and about what my plans were with you."

"Did he do that t'ing where he crushed t'e—"

"Yep, like a piece of paper. I'm guessing he does that with all of the people you go out with."

Jack shrugged. "Not really; only wit' people I really like."

What he'd said made Vinny's insides twist in a strange and somewhat uncomfortable way. Something that Jack had said last night came back to the forefront of Vinny's mind and he blurted without thinking, "Did you mean what you said last night?"

"Hm?" Jack furrowed his brows.

'You DUMBASS!' Vinny thought, cringing inwardly. Verbally, he said, "You said... that I was the best thing that ever happened to you." A beat. "Did you... really mean that?"

Jack's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open a little. "I..." He swallowed visibly. "Y—yeah. I did."

Vinny couldn't breathe. Time slowed down and he was screaming mentally, because this was the start of his worst fear. He took a deep breath and tried to remove the distressed expression from his countenance. "I hope it stays that way," He managed to choke out. "For both our sakes."

Jack reached a hand out and cupped his cheek. "What? What d'ya mean?" 

"I'm not easy to love, let's just put it that way." Vinny mumbled.

"Well, loving isn't easy." Jack replied. "'Nd I don't expect it'ta be. One step atta time, sweetheart."

Vinny gave a little grin at that; young and naïve, but there was some wisdom there. He just hoped he would still be around to watch him grow. "C'mon, Sean, let's get out of here."

"Ooh, where we headed?"

"My place. I need to work on a song."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst up next ..?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serenading and misunderstanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rushed this one

Vinny's apartment was very quiet and empty; granted, Molly, Vinny's small white dog, was there and very happy to see her owner and owner's new friend, but other than that it was silent and bare, representing much of the person who lived there. Lining one wall was a ton of musical and technical equipment, the most easy to name among it all being an electric and acoustic guitar. "Well, this is my place, I guess." Vinny said, setting his keys and wallet on the counter next to the door. 

"It's nice. Very _you."_ Jack replied, eyes roaming everywhere.

"I get that a lot."

As Jack looked around, Vinny strode over to one of his guitars and picked it up, plugging it in and tuning it, using his tuning tool to help him out. Upon hearing chords being struck, Jack walked over to where Vinny was sitting at his desk chair and sat on the sofa across from him, hands clasped in his lap and a smile on his face. "Play something for me?" He requested.

Vinny did a half-shrug. "I suppose I could. There's a song I've been working on that I think you'll like." He agreed. Turning around to face his computer, he messed with the controls on-screen, then hit a play button, strumming slowly to work out the beginning chords. When the music played, he started to sing and strum.

"You've got everything that I want, everything that I need to be." The melody was slow and had a dreamlike quality. "I see the way that you are, the person who you claim to be (you don't deserve it)." 

Jack was transfixed, almost; Vinny could barely see him breathing. Regardless, he kept going. "If I was as lucky as you, so happy that I could be. You've got everything that you want, what a pity that can't be me. I need to have it all for me, all for free, I need to have it all for me, wait and see." The faster tempo that had picked up during the chorus dropped back down, which Vinny was kind of proud of. "You are everything that you are from the people that helped like me, and you don't appreciate what you've got or who you need (you don't deserve it). They throw everything that you want, everything you love at your feet. You don't have a thought in your brain or a single original scheme. I need to have it all for me, all for free, I need to have it all for me, wait and see." Briefly, Vinny glanced up at Jack to find him furrowing his brows, but still seeming to be listening intensely; he just hoped that it was in a good way. "I found another big flaw, it's worse than you believe. If I was in the right place and time, that could've been me." 

Now it was just guitar strumming for a while, followed by slide guitar and some synths, and then the song was over. Vinny set his guitar aside and turned off his music program, hearing Jack clapping behind him. "T'at was really, good, Vinny! I loved how et'ereal and, ahm, psychedelic it all felt, y'know?" He praised, grinning.

"Thank you, Jack, I really appreciate that." Vinny said in reply, smiling a little.

"If... ya don't mind my askin', what was the t'inkin' behind that song? Like, de inspiration."

Vinny twisted up his mouth in thought; what _had_ he been thinking about that day? After a moment of retrospect, he answered. "I think it was a little after I started seeing you at the café, a month or so, I'd have to say. That's about as much as I can remember." 

Jack narrowed his eyes a little. "You wrote it aboot me?"

Again, Vinny twisted up his mouth. "Not necessarily."

There was a moment where they just sat and stared at each other, silent, except for the uneven breathing of Jack, which Vinny raised an eyebrow over. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Jack answered a little too quickly for Vinny's liking.

"You sure?"

Jack shrugged. "I was just t'inkin'..." He shifted to face Vinny a little more forwardly. "Do you... consider me yer boyfriend at all? Like, are we dating in yer mind?"

This was it, the moment all of Vinny's anxieties had been preparing him for all day; he spun his chair some and scratched his head, running his fingers through his hair and then rubbing his palms over his face. It wasn't like he didn't know the answer—well, kind of, but mostly it was just the fact that he didn't want to say it. He did, in fact, consider Jack his boyfriend, but whenever he dwelled on it, even for a second, he would begin to feel like shit. The idea of someone, especially Jack, eventually coming to hate him over the course of a relationship was the worst idea in the world to Vinny, and as much as he tried to get past it, he just... couldn't do it, even if he desperately wanted to. Jack was so much more than anything Vinny had ever experienced or could even hope to experience, but there still that part of his brain that adamantly and proactively kept him from saying those words he _knew_ both he and Sean wanted to hear. His eyes flickered up to see Jack sitting expectantly across from him, and he watched as the realization that Vinny wasn't going to say anything dawned on him; his expression, once hopeful, began to fall, turning into a desperate look of despair. Vinny could nearly see all energy and light in the room drain away, until the atmosphere in the apartment grew cold. "You..?" Jack tried to say.

"It's not that I don't like you, Jack, it's just me!" Vinny tried to explain, scooting his chair closer to Jack, who leaned back a little with his brows knitted together and lips slightly parted. "It's this... I don't, like relationships." He added, shoulders drooping and eyes widened.

Jack held up a hand. _"What_ t'e fock are ye _talkin'_ about, Vinny?" His tone was verging on upset.

"I'm scared of commitment. Which is, stupid, I know, but please try to—"

He was almost knocked back by Jack standing abruptly from the sofa with this almost scary glare of ice darkening his usually bright features. "You... you could've... told me that. You..." He whispered, walking around to the back of the sofa and closer to the door. Vinny stood up and went after him, only to be halted in his tracks by Jack putting a hand out to block him from getting any closer; the look on his face was making Vinny want to tear his eyes away, but he knew that that wasn't the right thing to do in this situation. "I love you, Vinny. I... I opened myself up t' ye, for the first time in _years,_ and..." He looked Vinny up and down then huffed out a spiteful laugh. "Forget it."

"Isn't it enough that I love you?" Vinny questioned in a quiet, almost begging tone.

"I want'a get MARRIED one day, Vinny!" 

The shout echoed off of the barren walls of Vinny's studio apartment, scaring Molly, who yipped and took off down the hall in the direction of the bedroom. Vinny wanted to tell her it was alright, but again, probably not the best thing to do. He reached out for Jack, but Jack pulled away, "Don't." He whispered. The word cut into Vinny's chest, cold and bitter. "Just... don't."

"I love you." Was all Vinny could think to say. 

When he did, Sean's eyes squeezed shut and he visibly tensed. "I..."

Before he could say any more, there was a knock at the door; at light speed, Vinny ran through all of the people that could possibly be at his door, and then he remembered—his friend Joel was in town from Sweden for the week, and today was supposed to be the day they recorded some stuff together. He swore under his breath. _"Shit."_

From the closed door came a muffled voice that had a heavy Nordic accent. "Vinny! Are you jackin' off in there or something? Open the fuckin' door!"

Jack eyed the door with both contempt and curiosity. Vinny rubbed a hand over his face and headed toward it, hearing Jack trail after him at a distance. He grabbed the knob and turned, pulling the door open and peering out; standing on the other side was Joel, a lean brunet with washed-out blue eyes, almost grey, wearing a black hoodie with a skull on it and faded black skinny jeans. He had long hair that flowed out from under his dark grey beanie, which he now took off. "Bro, are gonna record or what?" He said, but when he saw the distressed expression on Vinny's face and Jack behind him he closed his mouth. "Uh... Am I interrupting something..?"

Vinny opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut in before he could say anything. "No, I was jest leaving."

He stormed past Vinny, who called out him. "Jack—" 

Instead of replying, Jack kept walking, moving past Joel and down the hall. Vinny covered his face and sighed heavily, hearing Joel shift his weight. "Well that happened." He said.

"You have..." Vinny lowered his hands. "... no idea." Sighing once more, he stepped back to allow Joel in, Joel shaking his head and slinging his guitar off of his back. 

"What'd you do this time, huh?" He asked.

Vinny shrugged. "The usual, being a fuck-up."

Joel's laugh was kind of condescending, but Vinny knew him well enough to know that that wasn't the case. "Did you tell him about the relationship thing?" He asked.

"Yeah."

Joel rolled his eyes. "Typical. Y'know, Vinny, if you keep doing this, you're gonna be alone forever."

"I already am."

Joel smacked him on the arm. "Fuckin' do something about it then! Do you like that guy, what was his name—Jack?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah, a lot."

"Then why don't y' just date him already? Fuck!"

"You know why."

"FUCK that! Dude, I'm tired of seeing you keeping yourself from being happy just because you're scared. Listen, ya asshole," Joel poked his finger in Vinny's chest and glared, his eyes more blue when he was really into what he was doing. "Life sucks, and then you _fucking die_. So make the fucking most of it. You wanna get with that Jack guy? Then do it! Fucking do it already! I know for a god damn fucking fact that you're gonna be writing songs about this guy for months after you two stop talking and I'm gonna have to put up with it—"

"He's different, Joel." Vinny said quietly. "I actually... really love him."

"Then what the fuck are you waiting for, asshole?" Joel threw a hand in the air, the other flailing out to grab Vinny's shoulder. "You're not gonna get anywhere if you just stay in one fuckin' place all the time! So in the words of Shia Labeouf, JUST DO IT!"

Vinny chuckled lightly at Joel's use of memes, and couldn't help but admit that he had a point; he loved Jack, so just fuck it! You only live once, right? He felt like burning his mind just for thinking that, but regardless he nodded and huffed out a breath. "You're right, shit." He shook his head. "Fuck!"

"Go and get him, dude." Joel smiled. "I can wait here."

"Thanks, Joel. Really."

"Whatever, Vinny. Now go!"

Vinny ran out of the apartment, grabbing his coat as he left, Joel chuckling his high-pitched laugh watching him go.

 

+

 

Thankfully, he still remembered where Jack lived and caught a cab to his place, barely managing to toss the money to the cab driver before he jumped out and ran up the steps to knock hard on Jack's door. He heard voices, scuffling, and then the door opened to reveal... Mark, with a sympathetic expression on his countenance. However, as soon as he saw Vinny, it changed to rage in the blink of an eye. _"You."_ He growled.

"Before you say anything, I'm here to apologize." Vinny said quickly. 

Mark grabbed him by his shirt collar and yanked him closer to him, his chocolate brown eyes glaring daggers into his skull. "You don't get to say anything, you piece of—"

"Mark? Who is it?" Jack's voice rang out from behind the imposing figure of Mark.

Immediately, Mark dropped Vinny and answered in a soothing tone, "No one, sweetie, go lay back down." 

"Alright..." 

Vinny couldn't stand to hear how broken and distraught Jack sounded; the knowledge that he'd done that to him was unbearable, especially since that had been his fear all along. "Please let me talk to him." He begged quietly.

"You've done enough fucking damage." Mark said, harsh enough to slice steel. "I should've never let you near him."

"I know I fucked up, okay?" Vinny said. "I know. I'm a piece of shit. But when I'm with Jack, I don't feel as bad about myself. He makes me... happy. And I love him, and he loves me, and my dumbass fucking fear of being hurt shouldn't get in the way of that. I won't let it. So please, Mark..." He held both of Mark's shoulders and stared into his eyes. _"Let me talk to him."_

There was a moment of introspective silence as Mark seemed to contemplate whether or not he should allow Vinny in, but it was cut short by Jack appearing in the doorway. "Mark, come back to—" He halted in his tracks, both figuratively and literally speaking. "Vinny," He breathed.

Vinny rushed forward with his hands out. "Jack, I need to say something."

"I don't wanna—"

"I love you. I love you, and I'm fucking stupid for turning you away over my own inane fear. For you, I would give anything just to be by your side. I want you to be my boyfriend, and I want us to be dating, I want all of that! Who cares if it scares me? Life's too short to be hung up on a fear that's only gonna keep me stagnant. So," He took one of Jack's hands. "If, you're still willing..."

Jack kissed him, throwing his arms around him and allowing himself to be picked up just like the first time they'd kissed, Vinny squeezing him in his embrace like he never wanted to let go, which he didn't. In between kisses, he gasped, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Just shut up and kiss me, ye asshole." Jack huffed.

So they did, and did, and kissed, until Vinny couldn't hold him anymore and had to set him down. Jack punched his shoulder, only to embrace him again. "Douchebag." He grumbled.

"I know." Vinny replied.

Mark was still standing nearby, expression not nearly as spiteful as it had been when Vinny had arrived; however, he made the "I'm watching you" hand motion at him before he took his leave, closing the door behind him. Vinny turned back to Jack and kissed the top of his head, deciding that if he were to die like this, then so be it, because he couldn't think of a time in his life when he was happier than in this moment. "I love you, sweetheart." He whispered for the millionth time that day.

"I love you too, honey." Jack replied.

They'd moved onto the bed, but didn't do anything beyond lay there in each other's embrace, enjoying the company of each other for hours on end, even when they'd fallen asleep. 

 

End


End file.
